Best cleaner for clear vinyl

rtz · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 296 Location: Oklahoma City

I get hard water spots and the lake water also makes the vinyl cloudy.

What is the absolute best cleaner you have found for cleaning sails?

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1548

For water spots use a cup of vinegar a bit of dish soap in a bucket of water. The vinyl is cloudy from putting the sail away wet and will clear next time you use it.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1548

White vinegar.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

If drying it well and removing the water spots leaves only the usual hazy-looking microscratches typical of well-used vinyl, plastic polish such as Meguiar's 17 plus a little bit of elbow grease will make the material look new again.

I never deliberately dry my sails, monofilm or vinyl
(I have both). I roll 'em up dripping wet (fresh water), bag 'em, toss 'em in the RV still wet, and unroll and rig 'em the next day or the next season. Haven't noticed any fogging at least since about 1990, and never notice waterspotting.